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What do you want more than anything? What are the professional and personal goals that are so important to you that you refuse to settle for anything less? We’re not talking about a pie-in-the-sky goal that if you fall a little short you will be OK with it. This is the stuff that makes it totally unacceptable to fail!

There’s a story about a young man meeting with his master on a beach. The master asked him “Just how badly do you want to achieve your goals?” The boy couldn’t really answer, so the teacher asked him to go out with him into the water. When they were chest deep the teacher violently grabbed the young man, plunged him under the green waves, and held him there. The young man struggled and fought, finally breaking loose and gasping just above the surface of the water. The teacher released him and said:

When you want to succeed as badly as you want to breathe, you can accomplish ANYTHING!

A nationally known drug treatment facility brings all new patients into a large room with other addicts, who are sitting in metal folding chairs around the edge of the room. The new patient is seated in a small chair in the center. One of the addicts gets up, walks to the new patient, and, without introduction, greeting, or welcome, asks, “What’s the one thing that’s most important to you?” In many cases, patients will say “My Children.” At this point, the other addicts along the walls yell “BS!” at the top of their lungs. (And I think you know what that means!) The addict asks the question again; “What’s the one thing that’s most important to you?” Often this happens several times until the new patient drops their head, and often in a whisper says… “Drugs.” At that point everyone stands up, starts clapping, comes to the center of and welcomes the patient to treatment!

What are the dreams, goals, and objectives YOU have that you just can’t live without? Maybe it’s a certain income, net worth, or material object. Maybe it’s more quality time off with your family. It could be supporting a charity or foundation, or volunteering in your home town. It’s up to YOU to say what you cannot live without! It’s up to you to determine YOUR goals!  Whether personal, professional, physical, family, community, or spiritual, don’t let anybody tell you what’s most important to you. Don’t ever settle for second best because of the words of another human being!

Please note I asked about your dreams, goals, and objectives, in that specific order. First we dream, so dream big! Second, our dreams become goals when we truly commit to attain them, and third, our goals become objectives when we ask ourselves, “How?” and attach a timeline.

So, let me ask you again…

What do YOU want more than anything? What do you want as badly as you want to breathe?

Work Hard & Have Fun!™

Easter has come and Passover is ongoing for those who celebrate those holidays. We attend Wooddale Church, a large congregation in Eden Prairie, MN, and we enjoyed a beautiful, inspiring, joyful Easter Service of celebration. For the Easter services, the traditional choir of about 60 people was joined by an orchestra of some 30+ people. As worshipers came in to take their seats these musicians were busy; very busy!

Musicians learn their art over many years. They have practiced and rehearsed. Prior to the beginning of the Prelude, the members of the orchestra engaged in their warmup, running through major scales, listening to their intonations, oblivious to the person in the chair next to them. Each member of the orchestra does their own thing to get ready for the performance. Listening to the noise they make is almost unbearable to the untrained ear. Everyone playing different scales, doing different things, warming up on their own. What one hears certainly cannot be called music, but rather it can be described as a racket! However, once the conductor raised the baton, the orchestra members gave him their full attention. Everyone was on the same page. Instruments were raised, and the first notes flowed out together. The music produced was inspiring, reverent… beautiful!

Often, running your business and making it successful is very similar to conduction a symphony orchestra. Like the musicians and the conductor, we learn our craft. We teach and train our teams. We continue to practice, prepare, and rehearse. And yes, we warm up for the week ahead. Monday mornings, like the symphony, often appear unorganized as people come together. People scurry here and there. Once everyone gets their coffee, greets their coworkers, and arranges their workspace. It’s time to start the performance. Whether you do it with a Monday morning meeting, or with a carefully designed business process and workflow, it is no different than the conductor who raises the baton. You are the conductor of the symphony called “Your Business.”

Make certain your team continues to train, rehearse, and prepare. Insist on constant, never ending improvement, which is “The Way of the Professional.” This applies to each member of the team; most of all to you. As does the conductor, lift your baton, lead from the front, and make professional music that benefits all who hear it!

“Work Hard & Have Fun!™”

Those who sell always look for an edge. Salespeople realize we are meant to get better at what we do. In addition, if we truly wish to serve others, it only makes sense to grow our business, as long as we don’t sacrifice our families, our health, or our principles.

Would it make sense for you to consider hiring a sales coach?  What questions should you ask in making this important decision?

• Do you need to work on your skills, sales & marketing strategies, sales structure, and sales systems?
• Have you hit a production plateau, or are growing incrementally?
• Do you find yourself getting in a rut, and loosing the passion for working with your clients?
• Is your team as engaged as you are in seeking professional excellence?
• Are you willing to change if it helps you grow your business?
• Would you like to provide a better client experience?
• Do you want more free time, as you tend to think about or work on business on weekends and vacations?
• Should I be working smarter?
• Could you and your team – and your clients – benefit from improved business processes?
• Would it make sense to get an experienced, objective, outside opinion on how you can improve?

Other Considerations

Hire a Sales, Marketing, or Practice Management Coach…

• If you want to set bigger goals
• If you want to expand your biusiness
• If you want to grow your team
• If you want to improve your client service
• If you want less complexity
• If you want free time without calls & emails to – and from – the office

When You Should NOT Hire A Coach

• When you don’t want one
• When it’s forced upon you
• When someone else would be willing to pay for coaching, but you are NOT willing to pay for it yourself.
• When you want someone else to do the work for you
• When you aren’t willing to consider change
• When you need someone to “save” you
• When you are looking for someone to listen to your problems

When you consider these questions, you will decide whether or not coaching is right for you. If you decide now is the time, look for a coach that:

• Understands your business
• Has done what you do
• Fits your personality
• Has coached others successfully
• Maintains confidentiality

Spending some time with these questions and considerations will help you make a productive, profitable decision about hiring a coach.